Apparatus for printing books in type for the blind.



No. 811,787. 7 PATENTBD FEB. 6. 1906. R. MONSKE.

APPARATUS FOR PRINTING BOOKS IN TYPE FOR. THE BLIND.

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B THE BLIND.

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f'wenbr .Wibzesses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- ROBERT MONSKE, OFBUCHAREST, ROUMANIA.

APPARATUS FOR PRINTING BCOKS TN TYPE FOR THE BLIND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1906.

Application filed May M1905. Serial No. 259,543.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RoBnn'r MoNsKE, a subject of the King of Prussia,German Empcror, residing at Bucharest, in the Kin dom of Roumania, haveinvented new an useful Improvements in Apparatus for Printing Books inType for the Blind, of which the following is a specification.

This invention. relates to an apparatus for the production of books inthe so called Braille type for the blind,

Herctoforc in order to enable paper to be printed with embossedcharacters of this kind of type metal plates with the characters inrelief had to be prepared, of which impressions were taken on paper bymeans of special presses. This method of operating had the disadvantageof being somewhat complicated.

The present invention relates to a method of printing books in embossedtype for the blind by means of which blind persons are themselvesenabled to compose the printingtype and to at once print off the same ina very simple manner.

By my invention the Braille points or dots of the characters for the.blind are themselves used as type, so that a blind person is enabled bygrouping together these pointtype to form the separate characters and tocombine these into words. The pointtypes consist of conical pins, whichin being composed in rows on opposite sides of the a paratus to bepresently described enable t e printingr of paper sheets to be eliectedon both sides. he apparatus for carrying out this method of operatingconsists, mainly, of two plates connected together by hinge-joints, inwhich the characters to be formed of conical pins are composed in rows.By arranging opposite the row of letters of the one plate yieldin rubberstrips on the other plate it is rendered possible by closing togetherthe two parts to simultaneously print a sheet of paper on both sides.The sentences consistin of conical pins which are set on the inner si ein the correct manner for reading can be at once removed again in theirentirety by the simple turning over of covers situated on the outer sideof the folding plates.

The apparatus is distinguished b great rapidity of action in theprinting 0 books and by an excedingly simple and durable construction,the arrangement being such that blind persons can Work the a paratusthem selves Without the slightest hdlp from others,

so that by this means the blind are ofl'ered a new means of earningtheir livelihood without material expenditure. The cheapness of the newmethod of operatin arises mainly in that the embossed metal p atesheretofore requisite for the printing operation are entirely dispensedwith and that the two machines heretofore re uisite-namely, one forembossing the meta plates and a press for taking impressions of themetal platesare reprl aced by a single a paratus.

he apparatus is s iown on the accompanying drawings, in which-' Figure 1shows a perspective view of the same. Fig. 2 shows a plan, partly insection; Fig. 3, a cross-section; Fig. 4, a art section of the twocomposing-plates to a arger scale, the upper plate having the pins inposition for the printin and the lower late showing the pins forcec outby means 0 the reversed cover.

' The apparatus consists, essentially, of two composing-plates a and t,which are connested together by hinge-joints c.

ranged alternative rows of rectangular recesses d and rubber strips orads e, and these rows of recesses and rub er strips of the two plates cand b are so arranged rela- ,tively to each other that a row of recessesof the plate a is situated opposite a robber strip of t e plate I), andvice versa. At the bottom of each rectangular recess (I there are formedin the plates a and 1) six conical holes 0 or perforatiensdf, into whichconical pins 9 can be inserte in such manner that they projectWith'their heads be end the inner surfaces of the plates at and i. 6.,beyond the sides having rectangular recesses. means of suitablecombinations of pins in these six conical holes there may be producedthe several characters in the known manner. The recesses d enable theblind to readily locate each set of the perforations and also to 100ascertain the beginning of sec line. For simplifying the composingoperation it is of advantage to employ in addition to the separate pinsdefinite combinations thereof by the connection of two and three of thepins I05 together, which are easily distinguished by the blind, so as tobe employed by them in producing certain characters.

The arrangement of the characters and composition of the words is,however, in this 1 1o apparatus not effected as in other printingapparatus in a reversed manner, but in the On the 80 inner surface ofthe plates c and b are arcorrect manner for reading, as when a dampedsheet of aper is introduced between the plates a and b for the purposeof embossed printing there will be produced, on pressing the lattertogether, the raised characters on the side of the paper opposite tothat against which the pins are pressed, so that on that side thegrouping of the embossed projections will a pear in the same order asthe grouping of t e pins t. e.,in the proper order for reading.

In order that the paper to be printed upon when being placed between theplates a and b may readily be brought into a strai ht position, thesides of the plates are provided with raised edges 71. For facilitatingthe manipulation handles 11 are provided at the front of a and b. Thethickness of the plates a and b is so chosen that the pins inserted intothe holes 1 project to a certain extent be ond the outer side of theplate.

11 order to avoid an unintentional pushing out of the pins, there areprovided on the outer sides of the plates (1 and l) guard-covers k,which at the one end are pivotally secured by means of pins m, engagedin open 100 s or slotted bearings n, andon the other en are secured bylatch-levers 0. A handle p, fi ge d to the under side of the cover k,serves 30 for turning it over. The covers it also serve for anotherpurpose. For the removal of the composed type for the purpose ofcomposing the type for the next page of the book the covers it are drawnout of their loops and are replaced in an inverted position. By thismeans the outer side of the cover which is provided with a metal late isbrought in contact with the rear en s of the pins 9 and presses thewhole of the same out of their conical holes, as shown in the lowerplate of Fig. 4. The pins can then be dropped onto a sheet of paper andbe at once used again for composing the next age.

In order that the ru ber strips which are opposite the front rows ofpins may be readily changed, they are let into dovetailed grooves ormedbetween the rectangular recesses of the plates and are secured at theirends by means of screws 8 and small holdinglates t, as shown. The edgesof these 1101 1nglates at the same time serve to indicate to t e' blindperson the position of the next following row of recesses.

It will be obvious that several of the abovedescribed apparatus could besecured togather side by side in such manner that after composing the tyes for a paper sheet in each apparatus and t en folding the connected pates of the several apparatus together at the same time a correspondingnumber of paper sheets could be simultaneously printed on both sides.

What I claim as m invention, and desire to secure by Letters atent, is

1. A printing apparatus provided with a pair of plates each composed ofalternate rows of recessed strips and pads, the pads of one plate bcinopposite the recessed strips of the other p ate, and pins reinovably secured to the recessed strips, substantially as specified.

2. A printing apparatus provided with a pair of hinged plates havingrows of rectangular recesses, and intermediate rubber strips arranged insuch a manner that a row of recesses on the one plate is opposite arubber strip on the other late, the said recesses having conical holesowned in their bottom surfaces, and conical pins in said holes,substantially as specified.

3. A printing apparatus provided with a pair of hinged plates havingrows of rectangular recesses, holes communicating therewith, pins insaid holes, and rubber strips intermediate the rows of recesses andarranged in such a manner that a row of recesses on the one plate isopposite a rubber strip on the other plate, the rubber strips beingsecured between the rows of recesses in dovetailed grooves,substantially as specified.

4. A printing apparatus provided with a recessed plate, pins removablysecured thereto, and. a reversible cover adapted to engage the pins,substantially as specified.

5. A rinting apparatus provided with a pair of iiinged plates havingrecesses, communicating conical perforations, pins removably securedWithin the perforations, and

pads intermediate the recesses, substantially as specified.

6. A rinting apparatus provided with a pair of iiinged plates havingrecesses, communicating perforations, dovetail grooves between therecesses, pins removably secured within the erforations, and padsengaging thp1 dovetaiFgrooves, substantially as specifie 7. A printingapparatus provided with a plate having recesses, communicatingperforations, pins removably secured within the perforations andprojecting beyond the plate, and means c ooperatin with the pins,whereby the pins are cause to form impressions, substantially asspecified.

8. A printing apparatus provided with a plate having recesses,communicating perforations, pins removably secured within theperforations, a cover adapted to en age the pins, and means cooperatingwith t e pins, whereby the pins are caused to form impressions,substantially as specified.

9. A printing apparatus provided with a late having recesses,communicating perorations, pins removably secured within theperforations and projecting be ad the plate, a reversible cover, meansor removably hinging the cover to the plate, and means co operating withthe pins, whereb the pins are caused to form impressions, su stantiallyas specified.

IIO

10. A printing apparatus composed of a In witness whereof I havehereunto si ned plate having recesses, commumcatlng permy name 1n thepresence of two subscn mg foratmns, connected pms removably securedwltnesses.

within the perforations, and means coper- ROBERT MONSKE. 5 ataing withthe. pins, whereby the pins are Witnesses:

caused to form impressions, substantially as I. VlslN,

specified. RUDOLF J ANSEN.

